Conventional vacuum pumps are generally provided to customers with integrated components, such as a fixed pump head/motor assembly and corresponding electronics. The integrated components are not designed to be interchangeable with other types of components, and therefore any variations to the vacuum pump are generally very difficult or not possible to implement without significant effort.
For example, a vacuum pump may include a pump head operated by a permanently affixed single phase motor and corresponding control electronics. The pump head and motor are integrated within a housing designed specifically to accommodate the particular combination. Use of another type of pump motor, such as a inverter controlled variable speed three phase motor or a DC motor, is not an option. For example, the pump head may not be able to physically couple to the pump motor and/or the electronics may be incompatible. Likewise, the physical space within the housing may be too small or too large to accommodate the inverter controlled variable speed three phase motor.
In the vacuum pump market, it is desirable to have a variably configurable or modular pump platform in order to meet different application requirements, cost targets, country specific voltage requirements, and similar variable criteria. For example, it is desirable to have a separable and modular pump head that may be driven by multiple modular pump motor options, including a single phase motor and inverter controlled variable speed three phase motor, for example. It is also desirable to have separable and modular electronics for driving the different pump motors (and other modular components). In hazardous environments or applications sensitive to electromagnetic fields, it is desirable to have a vacuum pump that can be driven by non-electrical means, such as an air or hydraulically driven motor.